Chapter 13: The Passing of Gunther Goth

The toilet on the main floor's half bath was over-flowing again.  The Manor was falling apart faster than Mortimer could fix it.  He would have thought that his father or grandfather would have kept up on the repairs.  Instead he felt like he was fighting a losing battle against letting the  Manor become decrepit.   Mortimer fixed the toilet easy enough but it was obvious to him that he would have to order another.  Unfortunately,  he discovered years of water damage under the baseboard, up the wall, and under the tile.  It was time to redo the entire bathroom if he expected it to hold up for several more generations.

The original half bath was huge.  Honestly, Mortimer had no idea why so much room was needed.  It easily could have been a full bath with room to spare had they put a bathtub in.  Mortimer was impressed when the architect drew up plans to add a laundry room and make the half bath smaller.  Usually the maid just took the dirty clothes to the launder in town but now they could do the laundry in the home.  Bella chose a Washboard brand superior washer and dryer in a vintage chocolate brown color.

Mortimer and Bella gathered estimates from several different contractors in town.  They finally set on one because he could guarantee the preservation of the original stained glass windows in the room.  The Manor was being considered as a historical building and the removal of the windows would have taken them right off the list.  Bella had been the one to pick out the fixtures.  She chose a modern, but classic, look to compliment the wallpaper and floor tile.  Both Mortimer and Bella were pleased with the end result and promised to consider the contractor first on their future  projects, as well spreading her name by word of mouth.

Gunther was on his way through the kitchen to head out and meet River when he suddenly felt an odd sensation.  With a sudden lurch, he was lifted off his feet.  Gunther's solid form gave way to release his spirit.  He found it quite ironic he spent so much time seeking death, but when it actually happened it came as a great surprise.  Gunther felt some slight confusion.  He was feeling as young and as great as ever, so why was he being collected now?

Gunther had been watching his grandchildren while Mortimer and Bella were out for the morning.  He had convinced Cassandra to baby-sit so he could go out to breakfast with River.  He never made it.  Alexander and Jada ran to the kitchen once they heard the commotion.  Having witnessed death before, Alexander knew exactly what was happening.  At first Jada didn't understand what was going on.  Once Alexander explained it to her she broke out in a sob.  She didn't want her grandpapa to go.  Alexander was losing the one adult that would tell everyone to just leave him alone and let him do his own thing.

Cassandra rushed into the kitchen shortly after her younger brother and sister.  She stopped short in her tracks.  Appearing before her very eyes was Grim; draped in his black cloak and wield his scythe.  Cassandra wanted to scream and throw herself between Death and Grandpapa but she couldn't move.  She swallowed a sob.  Cassandra's eyes darted back and forth between her siblings and Grandpapa.  She knew she ought to go and comfort them but she didn't want to lose this final chance to see her grandpapa.  Cassandra's head was swimming with all the thoughts she wanted to blurt out as fast as she could.  However, Cassandra stood in the kitchen in a stunned silence.

Gunther was remorseful that his grandchildren were to witness his passing.  Then he did what no other Goth had done before; Gunther threw himself to his knees and begged.  Gunther wanted a little more time.  He wanted to say good-bye to River.  He wanted to tell Mortimer how proud he was of all of his accomplishments and ask for forgiveness for his failings as a father.  He wanted to tuck his grandchildren into bed one last time.  Gunther wanted to see Cassandra take her place in the boardroom at Doo Peas.  Death denied his request.  Gunther disappeared into the air. 

A public memorial service was held a few days before the private funeral service.  The memorial was attended by most residents of Sunset Valley.  Dignitaries from Riverview, Appaloosa Plains, and Bridgeport had also attended.  The current Leader of the Free World gave the eulogy.  When the service was over dozens upon dozens of roses were placed near the urn.  Mortimer then held a funeral at the Manor for family and close friends.  Alexander felt so raw with the grief of losing his grandpapa.  It was one of the few times Mortimer and Bella saw a genuine emotion from their son.

Mortimer reached down to comfort his son.

"I know this hurts right now Alexander.  We will get through this," he explained.

Alexander looked up to his father.  No words formed on his tongue.  He could think of nothing to explain his understanding of the end of life, nor the confusion he felt about not seeing his grandpapa again.  Tears streamed down Alexander's face.  Mortimer gathered Alexander in his arms.

"It's alright son," he soothed.  "It's okay if all you can do is cry.  It's alright...it's alright."

Cassandra sat in her room for most of the funeral.  She couldn't bear looking at the urn.  Eventually Bella came upstairs to convince Cassandra to come downstairs and say a final good-bye.  Cassandra froze at the bottom of the staircase.  Her heart pounded and she broke out in a cold sweat.  Tears spilled over yet again.  She stood frozen in the doorway.  Cassandra sucked in a breath and stepped into the room.  She didn't take more than a few steps before she fell.  Mortimer picked his daughter up off the floor.  She held close and sobbed until no tears were left.  Mortimer's heart broke into a million pieces knowing his daughter hurt so much.

Toward the end of the funeral Mortimer's tough facade finally crumbled.  He had not had the best relationship with his father, but Gunther was his father nonetheless.  Now both his parents had passed to the afterlife.  Bella held her husband close.  Mortimer purged his tears and then cleared his throat.  He reserved his emotions again and began the eulogy to finish the funeral.  Mortimer spoke of a man bound to duty, forsaking his true feelings to remain loyal to the family's well-being.  He spoke of a man who had made bad choices in his personal life, but of which the consequences made him more of a man.  He spoke of a man that worked endlessly to better the neighborhood and the lives of all its residents.  He spoke of a man who he held in the highest regard.  Mortimer bid his final farewell to his father and thanked everyone for attending.

And so came the end of Gunther's chapter of The Goth Chronicles.  He was a man haunted by the only true love he had ever known.  He left the company his father founded to join the political arena.  Still, his legacy grew and flourished.  His son Mortimer was a man by his own right and gave Gunther four beautiful grandchildren.  Oldest grandchild Cassandra was to be his protege'.  He dedicated countless hours to the betterment of his neighborhood; making Sunset Valley renowned as a family friendly, yet modern neighborhood open to sims of all types.  He left his mark for the future.

After the funeral Cassandra went the the park with Darryl.  She needed to escape the sadness which enveloped the Manor.  She cried until no more tears overflowed her eyes, but still her heart ached with a pain she thought would crush her chest.  After pacing the grounds didn't help she set off to Central Park.  She and Darryl chatted by the swings.  He was no stranger to loss.  They talked about the most mundane things.  Anything to keep Cassandra's mind off the fact her Grandpapa was gone forever.  Darryl tried to comfort by reminding her that most sims who pass come back as ghosts when they want.  He was sure that Cassandra's grandfather would do the same.

Cassandra felt her eyes well to the brim again.  She couldn't think of her grandpapa as a ghost.  Cassandra thought her tears had run dry, yet they spilled from her eyes like a breached dam.  Darrel stopped swinging and hugged her.  He wished he could help or say some words of comfort but all he could was helplessly let her cry.  Cassandra felt the comfort in his arms. She held tight not wanting to let go.  He was her best friend; the only person who would let her sob into his shirt for as long as she needed.  He stood like a rock and didn't rush Cassandra's grief.

Later that night Cassandra walked to the cemetery on the way home.  It was a place of eternal comfort.  Her coworkers all wished her their condolences.  They, above everyone else, understood death was harder on those who must survive it.  Cassandra walked around enjoying the solitude.  She noticed a small flutter in the dark and discovered a swarm of moths.  Their wings seemed to hug the very air they fluttered through.  Cassandra held out her hand for a moth to land upon.  As the creature landed in her palm, a smile crept upon her face through her tears.  The simplest of life's pleasure eased the pain aching from her soul.

Cassandra spent the weeks following her grandpapa's funeral holed up in her room.  She didn't completely fall of her rocker; she still went to school, did her homework, and went to her job in the cemetery.  Just any spare time in between was spent painting.  It was easy to stare at the canvas and ignore everyone in the house.  Her brothers and sister continued on as if nothing happened.  Cassandra really couldn't blame them.  Damen was a toddler, he didn't really even realize that Grandpapa was gone, and Alexander and Jada were children, their focus on events is short-lived.  She was most appalled at her parents.  They returned to work and went back to how it was before Grandpapa's death.  But it would never be the same because he wasn't around anymore.

Mortimer and Bella finally threatened Cassandra with medical intervention if she didn't pull herself out of her sadness.  On the weekend Mortimer took his older children to see a movie in the theater.  The theater was a normal and comfortable place. Cassandra genuinely smiled for the first time in weeks.  She still thought of her grandpapa often but normalcy felt good.  After the movie Mortimer took the children across the street to the park.  While Jada and Alexander played Mortimer had a heart-to-heart with Cassandra.

Day by day life went on.  The Goths reinvented themselves as a family with Mortimer now the head of the household.  None of the peripheral day to day tasks had put on hold.  The lab still needed Mortimer to continue his top secret projects, Bella had a kitchen staff to oversee at the restaurant, and the kids all had their school and activities.  Even the stove broke in perfect time with trying to get everything back to normal.  Bella had thought it was the perfect opportunity to buy a new stove; something elite.  Mortimer had other plans.  He was going to fix it by the end of the day before Bella could insist on heading to the appliance store.

It was too little, too late when Mortimer remembered he had forgot to shut off the electricity at the power box.  It was a feeling he was hoping  he never had to feel again after the mishap with the dishwasher.  The shock coursed through his body.  The pain was blinding, but not as bad as the one before.  Mortimer supposed Bella was going to get her new stove after all.  Not only was he singed by the electricity, but the extra voltage fried the heating elements and fused the wiring.  Mortimer, resigned to defeat, gave the stove an extra hard kick for good measure.

Mortimer had just finished cleaning up the mess in the kitchen when Jada walked in the door.  He hadn't realized it was late afternoon.  Jada saw her father and dropped everything on the floor.  A startled scream escaped.  Mortimer realized he didn't have a chance to clean himself up and wondered how bad he looked to startle Jada like that.  He hurried to calm her fears and explain that everything was alright.  Mortimer gave Jada a hug and before long they were laughing at the accident with the stove. After their sides ached from laughing so hard Mortimer helped Jada pick her school work up off the floor.  Jada set up at the table to do her homework and Mortimer headed upstairs to clean up before heading to the appliance store.

Several months had passed and Bella felt restless around the house.  An emptiness set in.  She knew the others felt it too, even if they didn't understand the feeling.  On a beautiful Saturday afternoon Bella found her husband in the yard painting.  She knew his loss went deeper than his steely exterior would show.  Bella pulled Mortimer into her arms.

"We all feel the emptiness too," she whispered.  Mortimer's resolve lessened as his relief escaped him.

"I have something I want to talk about Mortimer," she explained.  "There is a little girl at the lab.  She was being treated for cutaneous vascularitis, which caused her to have red skin.  The scientist in the lab were able to cure the problem with her blood vessels, but there was an unexpected side effect.  Her melanin permanently turned red.  Now her family won't take her back since she was there for the red skin to begin with."  Mortimer looked at his wife, "Are you saying what I think you are?"

"Yeah, I probably am," laughed Bella.  "I would like for our family to adopt her and give her a loving home."

Mortimer hugged his wife with excitement.

"I haven't been to that department in years.  I didn't even know the lab had another subject," he exclaimed.  "Tell me all about her!"

"Well you know the medical background.  Her name is Floramaria.  She won't need anymore treatment; just normal check-ups with the pediatrician as usual.  She is younger that Alexander and older than Damen.  She loves the outdoors.  They can barely keep her in the lab and take her out the stock ponds to fish when she becomes too restless.  She's been ready to leave for awhile now."

Mortimer was silent.  Bella nodded her head and he hurried back to the house.

Mortimer rushed into the house and went straight for the phone.  He called the social worker that had arranged Jada's adoption.  Luckily, she answered her phone since it was a Saturday.  Mortimer explained everything to the social worker as Bella had explained it to him.  The social worker agreed to facilitate the adoption but warned him the process could take longer since they had to terminate the rights of her current parents, but she thought the chance was really good.  Mortimer made an appointment to meet at the office and sign all the documents.  After the phone call Bella and Mortimer gathered their children together to deliver the happy news.

The adoption itself took less than a month. Floriamaria's parents signed away their rights the minute the option was offered.  Mortimer and Bella were disgusted by the other couple's  willingness to just give their daughter away.  Despite their disgust, they offered a some sum of money as insurance they wouldn't rescind their choice before the adoption.  Bella and Mortimer received permission to visit Floramaria in the lab while they waited for their final court date.  It hadn't taken long at all before they viewed her as their own daughter.  The judge finalized the adoption and the social worker brought Floramaria home.  Mortimer gathered Floramaria up in his arms and showed her around her new home and introduced her to her new brothers and sisters.

The homecoming was overwhelming.  Jada escaped with Floramaria to a quiet place in the manor.

"I know you are going to love it here Flora,"  Jada said, matter-of-factually. "I'm adopted too so you aren't the only one and my skin color is different too and I was from the lab too.  So we'll be, like, special adopted sisters.

Floramaria nodded, "I like that.  I already love it here.  Bella and Mortimer are so nice."

Jada scrunched up her face, "Aren't you going to call them mom and dad?"

"Well maybe, but I had a mom and dad and they didn't want me anymore. Will that happen here?  What is it like here?"

"Well our family is the best in the whole neighborhood.  We do take care of the graveyard and Cassandra works there so a lot of people think we are creepy or something.  I think we are normal.  Maybe not Cassandra, but don't say that to her face."  With that the girl burst into a fit of giggles.